Author
X. Durrieu de Madron
Other affiliations: Centre national de la recherche scientifique
Bio: X. Durrieu de Madron is an academic researcher from University of Perpignan. The author has contributed to research in topics: Mediterranean sea & Continental shelf. The author has an hindex of 37, co-authored 56 publications receiving 3610 citations. Previous affiliations of X. Durrieu de Madron include Centre national de la recherche scientifique.
Topics: Mediterranean sea, Continental shelf, Canyon, Sediment, Submarine canyon
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
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University of Perpignan1, Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University2, Centre national de la recherche scientifique3, IFREMER4, University of Toulouse5, Université Paul Cézanne Aix-Marseille III6, University of Montpellier7, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn8, Spanish National Research Council9, Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire10, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis11, University College West12, École Normale Supérieure13, University of Georgia14, Plymouth Marine Laboratory15, university of lille16
TL;DR: In this article, a review of current functioning and responses of Mediterranean marine biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems with respect to key natural and anthropogenic drivers and to consider the ecosystems' responses to likely changes in physical, chemical and socio-economical forcings induced by global change and by growing anthropogenic pressure at the regional scale.
391 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the first part of the cruise, characterized by strong northern winds, was presented, and the hydrological structures evidence well-mixed water masses on the eastern and western ends of the shelf.
Abstract: [1] Hydrological and currentmeter observations were collected on the continental shelf and slope of the Gulf of Lion during the FETCH experiment (13 March to 15 April 1998). Results from the first part of the cruise, characterized by strong northern winds, are presented. The hydrological structures evidence well-mixed water masses on the eastern and western ends of the shelf. In the central part, the situation is more complex, with the influence of the Rhone river's freshwater plume in the first 40 m of the water column and, closer from the bottom, with the confrontation of downwelled coastal cold water and upwelled warmer and saltier slope water. Current measurements show the path of the cyclonic circulation along the slope, which is part of the general circulation of the western Mediterranean, and suggest the presence of large and temporary eddies on the shelf. This oceanic circulation is simulated with a free surface three-dimensional model using realistic forcing. The model outputs are in agreement with the main hydrological and circulation patterns. The results further indicate that coastal eddies are generated by the mesoscale structure of the wind field.
233 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors review the state of the science describing the dynamics of the flows and suggest further areas of research, particularly into quantifying fluxes of nutrients and carbon as well as heat and salt through canyons.
Abstract: . Cross shelf-break exchange is limited by the tendency of geostrophic flow to follow bathymetric contours, not cross them. However, small scale topography, such as canyons, can reduce the local lengthscale of the flow and increase the local Rossby number. These higher Rossby numbers mean the flow is no longer purely geostrophic and significant cross-isobath flow can occur. This cross-isobath flow includes both upwelling and downwelling due to wind-driven shelf currents and the strong cascading flows of dense shelf-water into the ocean. Tidal currents usually run primarily parallel to the shelf-break topography. Canyons cut across these flows and thus are often regions of generation of strong baroclinic tides and internal waves. Canyons can also focus internal waves. Both processes lead to greatly elevated levels of mixing. Thus, through both advection and mixing processes, canyons can enhance Deep Ocean Shelf Exchange. Here we review the state of the science describing the dynamics of the flows and suggest further areas of research, particularly into quantifying fluxes of nutrients and carbon as well as heat and salt through canyons.
210 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the role of intense episodes of both dense shelf water cascading and open-sea convection to the progressive modification of the NW Mediterranean deep waters has been highlighted.
Abstract: The winter of 2012 experienced peculiar atmospheric conditions that triggered a massive formation of dense water on the continental shelf and in the deep basin of the Gulf of Lions. Multiplatforms observations enabled a synoptic view of dense water formation and spreading at basin scale. Five months after its formation, the dense water of coastal origin created a distinct bottom layer up to a few hundreds of meters thick over the central part of the NW Mediterranean basin, which was overlaid by a layer of newly formed deep water produced by open-sea convection. These new observations highlight the role of intense episodes of both dense shelf water cascading and open-sea convection to the progressive modification of the NW Mediterranean deep waters.
146 citations
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TL;DR: In situ observations were combined with 3D modeling to gain understanding of and to quantify the suspended sediment transport in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean Sea) over a 6-month period (November 2003-May 2004) as mentioned in this paper.
144 citations
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2,261 citations
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TL;DR: It is shown that deep-sea sediments are a likely sink for microplastics, and the dominance of microfibres points to a previously underreported and unsampled plastic fraction.
Abstract: Marine debris, mostly consisting of plastic, is a global problem, negatively impacting wildlife, tourism and shipping. However, despite the durability of plastic, and the exponential increase in its production, monitoring data show limited evidence of concomitant increasing concentrations in marine habitats. There appears to be a considerable proportion of the manufactured plastic that is unaccounted for in surveys tracking the fate of environmental plastics. Even the discovery of widespread accumulation of microscopic fragments (microplastics) in oceanic gyres and shallow water sediments is unable to explain the missing fraction. Here, we show that deep-sea sediments are a likely sink for microplastics. Microplastic, in the form of fibres, was up to four orders of magnitude more abundant (per unit volume) in deep-sea sediments from the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean than in contaminated sea-surface waters. Our results show evidence for a large and hitherto unknown repository of microplastics. The dominance of microfibres points to a previously underreported and unsampled plastic fraction. Given the vastness of the deep sea and the prevalence of microplastics at all sites we investigated, the deep-sea floor appears to provide an answer to the question-where is all the plastic?
1,292 citations
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TL;DR: A considerable amount of work has been made and definite results obtained about the circulation in the Western Mediterranean Sea during the last decade as mentioned in this paper, mainly in the south where all water masses appear to flow anticlockwise along the continental slope, as they do everywhere else in the sea.
1,103 citations
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24 Feb 2011TL;DR: The Global River Database as mentioned in this paper is a collection of river data from North and Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania with a focus on flooding and erosion.
Abstract: Foreword 1. Introduction 2. Runoff, erosion and delivery to the coastal ocean 3. Temporal variations 4. Human impacts Appendices. Global River Database: Appendix A: North and Central America Appendix B: South America Appendix C: Europe Appendix D: Africa Appendix E: Eurasia Appendix F: Asia Appendix G: Oceania References Index.
1,046 citations
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TL;DR: Ocean microstructure data show that turbulent mixing in the deep Brazil Basin of the South Atlantic Ocean is weak at all depths above smooth abyssal plains and the South American Continental Rise, which implies that abyssal circulations have complex spatial structures that are linked to the underlying bathymetry.
Abstract: Ocean microstructure data show that turbulent mixing in the deep Brazil Basin of the South Atlantic Ocean is weak at all depths above smooth abyssal plains and the South American Continental Rise. The diapycnal diffusivity there was estimated to be less than or approximately equal to 0.1 x 10(-4) meters squared per second. In contrast, mixing rates are large throughout the water column above the rough Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the diffusivity deduced for the bottom-most 150 meters exceeds 5 x 10(-4) meters squared per second. Such patterns in vertical mixing imply that abyssal circulations have complex spatial structures that are linked to the underlying bathymetry.
1,038 citations